comfort found in butterbeer caps
by Charlie'sDragon
Summary: Luna attempts to comfort George after the death of Fred. Please read and review!


A single tear traced its way down George's cheek, sliding through the red-gold stubble that had sprung up during the last two days. He watched it fall into his glass of Ogden's Finest with something akin to surprise. He had thought that all the tears had been used up hours ago. The tear also reminded George that he had a while to go before he reached oblivion. He stared at the drink distastefully, wanting to fall into welcome blackness but disliking the means of getting there. For one, he didn't much like the taste of beer, no matter how much … Fred had. For the second, it seemed to take far too much effort. George wanted nothing more for the memories to go away, but the means of getting there were too long.

George sighed deeply, causing small ripples to form inside the glass. He noticed that there seemed to be a fuzzy shape reflected inside. A light touch on his shoulder and a dreamy voice jolted him out of his appraisement of the beer.

"You're not drunk are you?" Luna said, gently removing the glass from his hand. "At least not yet." When no reply was forthcoming, Luna continued on the task that Molly had sent her on. "Come back and mourn with your family. They don't want to lose you too."  
It no longer seemed to George as if she were speaking to him. Rather, it was like she was talking and he happened to be in the room. No one could be so detached from all the death and sadness, speak about his loss in the same way she would make casual conversation.

He continued to stare at the spot where his beer had sat, wondering to himself if she would just go away if he ignored her for long enough.

"George?" He knew he shouldn't feel happy about it, but a sense of cruel satisfaction rose within him at the note of anxiety in her voice. When he still didn't reply, she continued. "You could always talk to me … before." Her voice trailed off and he could almost feel the dreamy mask snapping back in place. "Perhaps Ginny will have better luck. It appears that the Wrakle Sprouts got to you" He heard her robe swish around her, imagined the little Butterbeer caps in her ear swinging as she walked out the door. She always wore them on Wednesdays.

Luna paused at the doorway, wondering if she should really go and ask Ginny to help her with George. Deciding that she had nothing better to do, she turned around to sit across from George. He was in the same position as before, elbows resting on the table, eyes trained on the ring his glass had engraved into the table. She ordered a beer, knowing that the bartender would ignore the fact that she really was under-age. Everyone needed some comfort after the war, and Aberforth understood that better than anyone.

George looked up then, the fact that Luna of all people would be drinking arousing his interest. His voice raspy from disuse, he asked, "What are you doing?"

"Contemplating this beer, of course." Luna looked at him like he was asking the most obvious question in the world. "I don't really want it though," she said. Luna seemed terribly pleased that she had gotten George to say something. "Maybe the Wrakle Sprouts haven't gotten to you!"

Luna wanted to smile, but she wasn't sure if George was ready for such a blatant display of happiness. Carefully, like approaching a wounded animal, she reached across the table and grasped George's hand. As he stared at it like it was some sort of alien creature, she said, "Come back with me. Mourn Fred's death properly."

He had thought it would be painful to hear it out loud, just like that. But in a way Luna's soft dreamy voice made it all seem better. And her cool hand holding his, and the small smile she offered him, all showed him a way to come back to his family, his friends, and her.

"And you won't ever stop missing him because he was part of you. But eventually it won't hurt as much." Luna remembered another conversation, with the only other boy she had liked, that went like this. She hoped they wouldn't end up that way.

And George smiles back, even though the world has been tilted on its side and nothing will ever be the same again. Because George knows that he won't forget, because he is George and Fred was Fred, but someday it will all be okay. He knows, because Luna is there. And even though she might believe in things that aren't there, she still understands. She knows how to put his world back together again.

**A/N: Please read and review. I'm kind of iffy about this one so please tell me if you like it or not?**


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